abcdefghix
07-25-2007, 07:09 PM
Hello,
I'll try to keep this as short as I can.
Some time ago, I experienced certain events in my life that made me realize that anxiety was a problem for me, and that I needed to do something about it.
I tried a number of traditional solutions (self-help, CBT, hypnosis, supplements, etc.), and none of them really worked. In fact, the problem got significantly worse in many ways as I became more and more obsessed with my thinking and with my quest to overcome my anxiety. What started out as simple worries like "Will I be able to sleep tonight?" or "Do I have (insert your favorite illness)" ended up turning into "Will I eventually go crazy?" and "Will my loved ones be able to deal with it?"
This failed process really confirmed for me one of my biggest fears: that I was different from the people around me, that my mind worked differently than theirs, and that, because of this, I was destined to be miserably anxious for the rest of my life. Worse yet, these problems were problems that were also destined to ruin the lives of the people I loved.
That was the only explanation I could find for why other people seemed to have the ability to be relaxed, normal, "positive", and engaged in their lives, while I was always struggling with the irritating and absurd worry games that my mind would play. It was as if my mind would scan the universe for all known possibilities, and then nag at me incessantly with whatever it could find that would be most negative, catastrophic and destructive. The more I argued with myself, the more I tried to reason with my mind, the worse it got. And the more I read books on "positive thinking" and "overcoming your fears", the more I realized, that the authors--with their stories about how Mr. X gathered the courage to speak in public or how Mrs. Y overcame her fear of flying--just don't understand me!
Eventually, I came across a book by University of Nevada Psychology Professor Dr. Steven Hayes called: "Get Out of Your Mind, and Into Your Life." In my opinion, this book has the answers. I have never felt as understood by another person in my entire life as when I read the first few pages of this book.
Over the past 15 years, he and his team have developed a type of therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It is growing very quickly and is just now starting to become more and more mainstream.
There is a recent Time magazine article that discusses his work. Unfortunately, I don't yet have privileges to post the URL, but you can read the article online if you just google "the third wave of therapy".
I completely recognize that everyone is different, and that different people will respond differently to different solutions.
But if your mind is like mine, constantly playing games to ruin whatever is good in your life, and if the traditional methods just don't seem to be doing enough, then I would beg you to pick up this book and give it a try. What you will find is that your mind is not the exception--it is the rule.
Best wishes to all of you,
--Brian
I'll try to keep this as short as I can.
Some time ago, I experienced certain events in my life that made me realize that anxiety was a problem for me, and that I needed to do something about it.
I tried a number of traditional solutions (self-help, CBT, hypnosis, supplements, etc.), and none of them really worked. In fact, the problem got significantly worse in many ways as I became more and more obsessed with my thinking and with my quest to overcome my anxiety. What started out as simple worries like "Will I be able to sleep tonight?" or "Do I have (insert your favorite illness)" ended up turning into "Will I eventually go crazy?" and "Will my loved ones be able to deal with it?"
This failed process really confirmed for me one of my biggest fears: that I was different from the people around me, that my mind worked differently than theirs, and that, because of this, I was destined to be miserably anxious for the rest of my life. Worse yet, these problems were problems that were also destined to ruin the lives of the people I loved.
That was the only explanation I could find for why other people seemed to have the ability to be relaxed, normal, "positive", and engaged in their lives, while I was always struggling with the irritating and absurd worry games that my mind would play. It was as if my mind would scan the universe for all known possibilities, and then nag at me incessantly with whatever it could find that would be most negative, catastrophic and destructive. The more I argued with myself, the more I tried to reason with my mind, the worse it got. And the more I read books on "positive thinking" and "overcoming your fears", the more I realized, that the authors--with their stories about how Mr. X gathered the courage to speak in public or how Mrs. Y overcame her fear of flying--just don't understand me!
Eventually, I came across a book by University of Nevada Psychology Professor Dr. Steven Hayes called: "Get Out of Your Mind, and Into Your Life." In my opinion, this book has the answers. I have never felt as understood by another person in my entire life as when I read the first few pages of this book.
Over the past 15 years, he and his team have developed a type of therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It is growing very quickly and is just now starting to become more and more mainstream.
There is a recent Time magazine article that discusses his work. Unfortunately, I don't yet have privileges to post the URL, but you can read the article online if you just google "the third wave of therapy".
I completely recognize that everyone is different, and that different people will respond differently to different solutions.
But if your mind is like mine, constantly playing games to ruin whatever is good in your life, and if the traditional methods just don't seem to be doing enough, then I would beg you to pick up this book and give it a try. What you will find is that your mind is not the exception--it is the rule.
Best wishes to all of you,
--Brian